Transmission mechanism.



C. II. MILLER.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2| I911- 1,278,975. V PatentedSept. 17,1918,

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C. H. MILLER.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 1917.

Patented Sept. 1 7 1918.

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I c. H. MILLER.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, I91].

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FILE--51- c H. MILLER.

TRANSMISSION MECHANISM,

APPLICATION FlLED JUNE 2, 191?.

1,278,975. PatentedSept. 17,1918.

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CHARLES H. MILLER, or LIBERTYVILLE, IOWA/ m'AnsMIssIoN MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent."

Patented Sept 7.191s.

Application filed June 2.1917. ?erialNo.172,368. r i

To all "HIHJHL it may concern:

lie it known that l. tuivnLns ll. MILLER. a citizen of the l'nited States. and resident of Libertvville. Jefferson county. State of Iowa. have invented certain new and useful lnn)rovenients in 'lransmission Meclianism; aud ni v preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in the following t'ull. clear. and exact description.tern1inating with claims particularly specifying the novelty. p This invention relates to lnzurhiue ilements, and more particularly it is a trans mission mechanism such as is used on motor vehicles between the power and driven shafts: aud'the object of the invention is to simplify and improve such a device while vet reducing its size and rendering its parts strong. few. and accessible.

Further objects will appear from the folllowing specification wherein the preferred construction of the device is set forth. reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view with most of the upper half ot' the casing removed. and some of the parts broken away and in section.v

Fig :2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the power and driven shafts.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig.

Fig. l a left side elevation. partly-in section.

Fig. 5 is. an enlarged elevation of the reverse gear.

Fig. (i ls a rear elevation shaft. partly in section.

liig. 7 is a perspective detail of'the shift of the driven .sleeve and its ring; i

Fig- 8 is armrspective detail of one key.

within the shift sleeve.

The casing is preferablv made in upper and lower parts 1 and 2 having flanges 3 meeting at thesides and connected by screws or bolts l. and the rear portion of the casing is closed bv a top plate 5 from which risesat its upper end-amla fork ltlat its lowerend. 1 will here state. however. that the liiauipulating mechanism shown is illustratiuonly of the snnplest form of lever which l ig. 9 is adetail of the two-part collar clear.

' occurs to me, and constitutes no part of the present invention. The powershaft leads rearward from the clutch as usuah'aucl the driven shaft D leads back to and is connected with the axle which is to be rotatedat various speeds by this trausn'iission mechanism. according, as it is set. The casing will be supported in position where the lever rises to Within reach of the drive1"s'hand-- possibly through a slot in the flooring as usual.

'ljhe power shaft passes through a bearing 11 in the front end of the casing which is held I'(lll()\'tli)l in place by a threaded bushing 12. thence loosely through a ring 13 havmg a ball race for balls It as shown. this ring being held movahlv within a. pocket 15 in the casing so that it mav be advanced by setting up thefbushing 12, thence through the. power'gear 16 which n preferably keyed to the shaft and rests against the balls. thence through a cupped collar 17 preferably formed integral with the shaftand having its base resting against said gear, thence through a series of gears increasing progressively in size and separated from each other and from the collar by balls 19. and finally through a large ring 20 resting in a pocket 21 in the casing. and which ring'has a race for balls 2+be tween it and the largest gear of said series. Thus the several gears and the collar interposed are held separated by the balls 19. and are held collectively between the, two rings. 13 and 9.0 and their balls 14 and 24 as between thrust hearings. The power shaft is continued rearward from the collar in a long and slightly tapering pin or tongue 25. adapted to fitand yet to turn within a cor respondingly shaped axial socketQG inthc forwardend of the driven shaft D. and holes 27 and 28 admit lubricant from the. interior of the casing. and permit-its 'esca 'e, from the socket in a manner whiehwill The driven shaft passes througha bear: a ing 31. in the rear end of the casing; held removabh in place by a threading bushing 32. and in the assembly of partsits socket ribs 33 leaving interposed keywa-ys 34. shown in Fi 6' as twelve in numberand from a g p a V .26 is slid over the tongue 25 untilits front I no i point. aboutecomcident with the large ring :20, these ribs are radially enlarged as at 35 and the keyways COHSHIUUHU) deepened. The ribs and keyways taper inwardly, and the core of the shaft is therefore not. weakened. Slidable longitudinally on the smaller ribs, but held against rotation with the shafts. is a shift sleeve 30 the front end of whose bore is enlarged and threaded back to aniiiternal shoulder 37 (see Fig. 7) to receive a collar 38 such as shown in Fig. 9. This eollar is preferably in two parts with registering notches in their meeting edges producing twelve holes 39 when the parts are assembled. and it is held removably in position in the front end of the sleeve 31') by a screw ring 40. The. fork 10 of the lever is shown as having pins entering holes in the sides of the sleeve whereby the latter may be shifted back and forth but is pre vented from rotating.

Slidably mounted in the several keyways are keys 41 having long bodies tapering to the rear as shown in Fig. 8 andalso tapering toward their inner edges to closely fit the. keyways. Each key has its front end ings 39 in the collar 38; hence the move-v ment of the shift sleeve by the lever slides the keys back and forth. Said sleeve is notched as at 45, and a spring finger 46 carried within the casing has an inturned tip 47 which springs successively into the notchgs as the sleeve. is moved .-and holds it frictionally in any position to which it is adjusted: but this detail'might be omitted if other manipulating mechanism were used.

The gears in the series mentioned are numbered respt'mtively 51, 52, and. 53, the latter bein largest and next -the large ring 20 whereas the smallest gear 51 is larger than the collar 17 next which it stands. This collar and the gears are all internally toothed to provide keyways as seen at ()l in Fig. 5, and the keyways are twelve in number to accommodate the series of keys described.

engagement with one gear through a neutralv space, and into engagement with thenext ear, and so on as will be clear. I eys are engaged with the collar 17 (which might be called the sn'iallest gear for sake of simplicity), themeclmnism is set at high and the drive is direct from the power \Vhen the shaft 1" to the driven shaft D; when engaged with gear 51, we have medium" speed; gear 52 gives low; and gear 52:) gives "reverse. It is obvious there could be additional gears for further speeds without departing from the idea.

The eounter shaft (it) is otl'set to one side of the line of the main shafts. lt front end is mounted in a bearing (11, and its rear end (32 is redii'eed in size and mounted in a bearing (ii-3. .lts driven gear (it; meshes \\'ith the power gear 113. its next smaller gear 67 with the medium gear 51. and its smallest gear Uh with the low speed gear 5:2. Said geartit's' is shown in Fig, 1 as forged to this shaft. whereas the other gears are keyed thereon for ease of manufacture and strength of parts. The shaft 130 is reduced at 13; to permit the large reverse gear 33 to run freely pastv it. The bearings are held in place by threaded bushings til). I may here state that all bearings might have alls or rollers without del'iarting from the invention. and if so proper accon'nnotlations will he provided for them.

The idler shaft 70 as usual underlies the counter shaft. It is mounted in bearings as indicated, and it carries a'long' idle gear 71 in constant mesh with the smallest counter gear 68 and the reverse gear 53.

'ith the parts assembled when the clutch is closed rotation is in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1. 'ith the key-'s forward asseen in Fig. :2. the deviee is set for high and the drive is direet. \Yhile the. power gear it; turns the counter shaft. and its gears turn the gears 3.1. 52. and 53 idly because they are not in connection with the. driven shaft 1). Movement of the leverhzrndle forward slides the shift sleeve. rearward and this moves the keys, first. out of engagen'ient with the internal teeth within the collar (smallest gear) 17 then into the neutral space next it, and then into engagement with theinternal teeth in the next gear 51; and, as the latter is revolving more slowly than the. collar, the speed transmitted is medium. The next shift changes the speed to low, and the next to "levers-e. The neutral position next reverse will be that in which the parts will ordinarily be left when the driver is absent from his ma$ie, but there is a neutral position next eve I speed position and this 1 consider an advantage.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a transmission mechanism, the combination with alined power and driven shaftsteleseoped at their meeting ends, the

driven shaft having ribs producing longitudinal keyn'ays, a series of keys therein having heads, and means for sliding the keys to adjust them selectively; of a series of gears provided with internal teeth to be engaged by the key-heads and disposed to prov and a counter shaft and idler shaft with,

the latter havin shaft-s driven ;from the gears thereon respective duce neutral spaces between the teeth in respective gears, the latter progressively increasing in size externallyand, a cupped collar inte ral with the power shaft, a power gear keye on such shaft next said collar,

gears driven from the power gear and respectively driving said first-named gears at variable speeds, as described.

- 2.; In a transmissionmechanism, the combination with powerand driven shafts, longitudinal keyways, a seriesof keys t erein having heads,and means for adjusting the keys longitudinally; of a cupped collar fast on the power shaft, :1 series of gears next the collar and progressively increasing in size externally therefronn'the collar and gears being pro videdwith internal teeth-to be en aged by theke heads and disposed to pro uce neu tral spaces between the teeth in respective elements, a counter shaft and'idler shaft with gears respectively driving those men- 'tioned at variable speeds, and means for driving said shafts from,the power shaft.

3. In a transmission'mechanism, the com,-

bination with alined power and driven shafts mounted in'bearings, a collar fast on t the power shaft, aseries of.rin'g. gears next the collar, bearings between these ielements and at the remote end of the series, teeth within said elen'1'ents, a key slidably mount;

ed on the driven shaft and having a head ada ted to be selectively engaged with such teetli or set in the spaces between,'and means for adjusting the key; of counter and idler power shaft, and y driving those mentioned at ;variable speeds and one of them imgeverse direction.

4, In a all transmission mechanism, the "cone; 'hination "with a'casing having bearings, a powrr shaft extending through one bearing a and v451 having a power ar'next adjacent thereto and a cupped co lar next the gear, a driven shaft extending through theother bearing and having a o a key slidably mounted ngitudinal keywayg therein and havin a short head, and means for setting the key; of a series of ring gears next the collar,

short teeth within these gears and the collar, and means for driving the ,gears at variable speeds and one of them in reverse direction from said power ear;

5. In transmission mec ani'sm, the combinatlon with a casing having alined bearings in its front and rear ends and bushings outside thebearings, a power shaft extending through the front bearin' and having an integral cupped collar, a driven shaft extending through the rear bearing and having longitudinal ribs radially enlarged at the front end of the shaft, such front end telescoping the rear end of the power shaft, a series of keys mounted slidably between the ribs and having heads at their front,

ends rojecting beyond the enlarged ribs radial y, and means for setting the keys; of a series of ring gears encircling the enlarged ribs, said gears and collar having internal at one end and hooks at the other, a series, of ring gears encircling said driv'enshaft and having internal teeth successively engaged by the heads as the, keys are-moved,

and means for drivin the gears from the power shaft at variab e speeds and one of them in reverse direction; of a shift sleeve slidably surrounding the driven shaft and having notches, a collar within 'said sleeve having holes with which saidhooks are engaged, means for setting the sleeve to adjust the. keys, and a finger engaging said notches, for the purpose set' forth;

' "In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscllgibed my signature this the 28th day of May, A. D. 1917; g

. CHARLES H. MILLER. 

